Two men were remanded in custody today accused of trying to murder English holidaymakers with a hatchet and machete near the Border in Co Louth.
Husband and wife Kath and James Fordyce were viciously attacked in their camper van parked off the main Belfast to Dublin road soon after arriving on a ferry from Scotland.
In the dock at Newry Magistrates' Court in Co Down today Elias Boswell (20) and Patrick Mongan (21) faced five charges connected to the assault on the couple from Skegness, Lincolnshire, in the early hours of Monday morning.
Mrs Fordyce (56) is understood to have suffered a fractured skull while her 61-year-old husband's arm was broken during the attack north of Dundalk on the south side of the Border.
Their Fiat ES60 camper van was taken from them, leaving the pair abandoned in the dark in a parking area once used by customs officers checking lorries crossing between the North and the Republic.
They were taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda where their conditions were said to be stable.
The van was later found in flames north of the Border in South Armagh.
Mr Boswell, of Auburn Park, Bangor, Co Down, and Mr Mongan from Ardcarne Park, Newry, Co Down, were arrested close to the scene. They were each charged with the attempted murders of both Mr and Mrs Fordyce, aggravated burglary and stealing following the break-in to their camper van close to the Carrickdale Hotel.
A wallet, cash, rings, keys and bank cards were all allegedly taken during the raid, and police have accused the pair of being armed with a hatchet and a machete.
Along with a further alleged offence of hijacking the vehicle by threat or intimidation, the suspects were charged with setting it alight in South Armagh.
Both men, dressed in T-shirts, said nothing during their 10-minute appearance in court. A PSNI detective constable confirmed that neither had made any reply when charged, but the officer said she could connect them with the offences.
She also confirmed that the suspects had both vehemently denied their involvement in the attack. Mr Boswell and Mr Mongan were remanded in custody to appear again by video-link on July 11th.
PA